Breaking News
by HecateA
Summary: Nothing could have saved the Hogwarts professors from what may have been the most boring staff meeting yet except for intell regarding their favourite students to gossip about. Oneshot.


**Author's Note: **Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **The following characters belong to J.K. Rowling, and this story derives from her original works, storylines, and world. Please do not sue me, I can barely pay tuition.

**Warnings: **NA

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**Stacked with: **MC4A; Shipping Wars; Hogwarts

**Individual Challenge(s): **More Than England; Gryffindor MC (x3); Hufflepuff MC; Slytherin MC; Seeds; Minerva's Migraine; Old Shoes; Trope it Up C (Secret Relationship); Themes & Things A (New Beginnings); Themes & Things B (Joy); The 3rd Rule; Ethnic & Present; True Colours; Rian-Russo Inversion; In a Flash; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux

**Representation(s): **Lily and James

**Bonus challenge(s): **Demo (White Dress; Spinning Plates; Hot Apple; Bee Haven; Delicious Lie; Bast's Blessing; Soul-Like)

**Tertiary bonus challenge: **NA

**Word Count: **565

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_**Shipping Wars**_

**Ship (Team): **Lily Evans/James Potter (Patronus Pair)

**List (Prompt): **Summer Big List (First Date)

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_**Hogwarts Submitting Info**_

**House: **Ravenclaw

**Assignment: **Assignment #1, Phytogeography Task #3 (Write about a meeting)

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**Breaking News**

Minerva had been going on and on and on about dress code enforcement and new Ministry guidelines and textbook reforms for so long, that even she was tired of the sound of her own voice. She could tell that her colleagues were also only sitting through this staff meeting out of politeness. Most of the professors had drained their coffee cups and finished their cakes, leaving them with nothing to do but to sit there; eyes glazed over as they pretended to listen to Minerva with much less convincing performances than their students managed on a daily basis. Every now and then Pomona cracked a smile and offered a nod of encouragement; saying that Minerva was doing _fabulous _as she led her first meeting as Deputy Headmistress.

That was when Slughorn burst into the teacher's lounge, breathless.

"Horace!" Minerva said. "My goodness… aren't you supposed to be out patrolling the halls?"

"Yes, yes, Minerva, but I have something ... quite extraordinary to report which is why… why I ran all the way back down here," Slughorn huffed.

"Are the children quite safe?" Pomona asked, standing up cautiously.

"I must assume so, my dear," Slughorn said, still panting heavily. Filius conjured a glass and filled it with a quick _aguamenti _spell before passing it to Slughorn who gulped it down. The faculty's eyes were all on him.

"I was on the sixth floor, patrolling as I was meant to, and as I turned the corner, I saw the most shocking thing in all of my teaching career," Horace said, gesturing wildly as if he'd encountered some strange beast in the savannah.

"Yes?" Madam Hooch pressed, eyebrows arched.

"I wouldn't have believed it myself if I hadn't seen it with my own two eyes," Horace said, wagging his finger as he spoke. "So I wouldn't blame you if you didn't!"

"For Merlin's sake Horace, tell us what it is you saw," Minerva cut.

Horace looked at her with a reproachful look, but honestly Minerva had no regrets because if somebody didn't stop the theatrics early enough—well, it was anybody's bet.

"Lily Evans kissing James Potter," Horace said slowly. Gauging by his reaction, he was satisfied with the effect the statement had on the staff: pure and absolute shock. "On the mouth!"

The staff lounge _exploded. _People rose from their seats to throw their arms up in the air and shake hands. There was laughing, clapping, sighing, chattering, taunts of "I told you so!" And if Minerva wasn't mistaken…

"I beg your pardon!" she said. "Is that money changing hands? About the private affairs of two students?"

"Stay out of this, Minerva," Filius said. "We placed this bet _years _ago and I cannot wait to finally cash this in. Oh, Pomona will owe me a drink at the Three Broomsticks too!"

"Pomona?" Minerva asked, feeling somewhat betrayed.

Pomona shrugged, and accepted three galleons handed to her by their current Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Mrs. Beesley.

"If you don't like it, you don't have to stay. Nobody's forcing you to be a part of this," Horace said. He was raking in quite the small fortune himself, by the looks of things.

"This is—this is unprofessional and outside of our agenda," Minerva said weakly. Her volume dropped as she spoke, recognizing that the crowd around her was too far gone.

What staff meeting could rival breaking news like this?


End file.
